A bstract We consider a scalar potential with two minima, one of which is arbitrarily deep, such as could be the case for Higgs in Standard Model. recent calculation within thin-wall approximation [1] concludes that regions field takes values beyond top barrier are forced by gravity to collapse, while they remain hidden behind black hole horizon. show not applicable this problem. clarify issue ...

Trinucleotide, or triplet, repeats consist of 3 nucleotides consecutively repeated (e.g., CAG CAG CAG CAG) within a region of DNA. All possible combinations of nucleotides are known to exist as triplet repeats, although some are more common than others. These repeated sequences are found both within gene boundaries and in the large stretches of DNA that lie benveen genes. If the triplet repeats...

Expansions and contractions of sequence repeats are associated with more than 40 diseases including Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy Fragile X Syndrome, the most common heritable cause intellectual disability. Expanded unstable may expand during intergenerational transfer disorders tend to increase in severity each successive generation. syndrome is cognitive impairment Nearly all cases...

I am Borut Peterlin, from Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Center, Ljubljana, Slovenia. We write to you to discuss if the number of CAG repeats in the androgen receptor (AR) gene is associated with male infertility in a group of 190 Slovene infertile men compared to 137 men with proven fertility. Pathophysiology of subfertility involves ...

F acioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the third most common form of muscular disorder with an autosomal dominant trait, and its frequency is about one in 20 000. It is characterised by weakness and atrophy of the facial, shoulder girdle, and upper limb muscles. The pelvic girdle and lower limbs subsequently also become involved, and, eventually, 20% of patients have to use wheelchai...

F acioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the third most common form of muscular disorder with an autosomal dominant trait, and its frequency is about one in 20 000. It is characterised by weakness and atrophy of the facial, shoulder girdle, and upper limb muscles. The pelvic girdle and lower limbs subsequently also become involved, and, eventually, 20% of patients have to use wheelchai...

In this issue, Chen et al. (1) report results from a nested case-control study that examines a CAG repeat region in exon 1 of the androgen receptor gene (AR) in relation to risk of prostate cancer. In contrast with most of the early reports (2–4), but consistent with several more recent reports (5–9), fewer AR CAG repeats were not associated with higher risk of prostate cancer. The study by Che...

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) of the minor receptor group use several members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor superfamily for cell entry. These proteins are evolutionarily highly conserved throughout species and are almost ubiquitously expressed. Their common building blocks, cysteine-rich ligand binding repeats about 40 amino acids in length, exhibit considerable sequence similarity. Variou...